Little fish are just as sweet for Wieland

By Glenn Davis

Little fish are just as sweet for Cairns trainer Fred Wieland.

Wieland chose to bypass the $100,000 Cleveland Bay Handicap in Townsville on Saturday with Prime Ruler and instead will start the seven-year-old in a $21,000 Open Handicap at Cairns on Thursday.

“It’s not a big field in Cairns compared to the Cleveland Bay and I think he’s looking for further these days,” Wieland said.

Prime Ruler broke a near year-long drought last start when he stormed home to win over 1400 metres on his home track in Cairns on July 18.

It was his first win since claiming an Open Handicap sprint over 950 metres at Cannon Park in August of last year.

Prime Ruler has been somewhat of a fallen idol since his sparkling form of three years ago when regarded as one of North Queensland’s future stars.

He won eight times in nine starts over a 12-month period from July 2021.

He has been a great money spinner for his connections which include Tom Hedley, who paid $15,000 for the former NSW galloper.

His 29 starts for Wieland have produced 11 wins and five placings with prize money earnings of more than $183,000.

The son of Walking Or Dancing was on Hedley’s property as a yearling when Wieland was told to pick him up and “try to win a race with him somewhere.”

Prime Ruler is stretching out in distance to 1500 metres for the first time in his career, but Wieland has no doubts he’ll cope with the extra trip.

“He’s won a couple of times over 1400 metres, so 1500 metres won’t be a problem as I’ve always thought he’d get 1600 metres,” Wieland said.

“His last win was over 1400 metres and he put paid to them very quickly and he was doing his best work late.

“It was his first win for quite a while as he had a bad campaign last year when we found out he had been choking down in his races, so he now races with a tongue-tie.

“When I look back now it might have been the reason why he went so long without winning."

While Wieland dodged the big Cleveland Bay feature, he still has hopes of claiming the Cairns Newmarket over 1400 metres on August 17.

“We went for the Lightning Handicap with him in Cairns last year but it’s too short for him now so he’s being aimed at the Cairns Newmarket,” Wieland said.